Dubai Lynx, MENA’s platform for creative excellence and effectiveness, has revealed this year’s winners in its award ceremony. Saudi Arabia won five Grands Prix, including four Grands Prix for ‘ProtectTasbih’, for Saudia, entered by Leo Burnett, Jeddah. ‘Rumble’ for General Entertainment Authority entered by Accenture Song, Dubai, United Arab Emirates took home seven Lynx Awards, including Grands Prix in the Film and Film Craft Lynx. Notable winners also include VML, Casablanca, which was awarded Morocco’s first-ever Grand Prix, taking home the Grand Prix for Good.
Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS & Dubai Lynx, commented, “We’re extremely proud that Dubai Lynx provides a platform for creative excellence and effectiveness in the Middle East and North Africa and provides a showcase and benchmark for work here in the region – but also for the rest of the world. Each year we strive to evolve the Awards to reflect the ever-changing industry landscape and continue to set the bar for creative excellence across the region. Dubai Lynx also offers many initiatives to foster emerging talent and contribute to the development of young talent across the region. At Lynx, there is a strong focus on future talent and shaping the minds and skills of the next wave of creative leaders."
The festival, which took place on March 5-6, gathered MENA's creative marketing community at The Emirates Golf Club with a program focused on creative effectiveness, talent & culture, creative risks, and AI & innovation. The event featured speakers from Mastercard, ESL FACEIT GROUP, HungerStation, Kraft Heinz, and the Saudi Ministry of Culture across two content-packed stages.
Cook added, “Creativity in MENA is at an all-time high and we can see lots of exciting shifts taking place in the region. 2024 has seen creative effectiveness entries increase by 84%, demonstrating the region's enduring commitment to creativity that drives impact. We have seen evidence of just how much creativity’s power to drive progress for business, people, and society resonates with our community and it’s clear that creatives in the region are also showing up in a big way, regionally and globally.”
Image Above: Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS & Dubai Lynx
This year's Grand Prix winners are:
Brand Experience & Activation
From 166 entries received, 15 were awarded: 2 Gold, 5 Silver & 7 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘ProtectTasbih’, for Saudia, by Leo Burnett, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Creative Commerce
From 51 entries received, 5 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver & 1 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘I See Coke’, for The Coca-Cola Company, by VML, Dubai, United Arab Emirates / VML, New York City, United States of America
Creative Effectiveness
From 35 entries received, 5 were awarded: 1 Gold, 1 Silver & 2 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The Hidden Room’, for Home Box, by Leo Burnett, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Creative Strategy
From 59 entries received, 6 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver & 2 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Superstar Ravi’, for Adidas, by Havas Middle East / Red Havas Middle East, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Design
From 69 entries received, 8 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver & 4 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘ProtectTasbih’, for Saudia, by Leo Burnett, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Digital
From 84 entries received, 7 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver & 3 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘I See Coke’, for The Coca-Cola Company, by VML, Dubai, United Arab Emirates / VML, New York City, United States of America
Direct
From 130 entries received, 14 were awarded: 2 Gold, 4 Silver & 7 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘ProtectTasbih’, for Saudia, by Leo Burnett, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Entertainment
From 87 entries received, 9 were awarded: 1 Gold, 3 Silver & 4 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Unauthorized Trip’, for Saudi Tourism Authority, by ‿ AND US, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Film
From 139 entries received, 10 were awarded: 2 Gold, 3 Silver & 4 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Rumble’, for General Entertainment Authority, by Accenture Song, Dubai, United Arab Emirates / Droga5, Part of Accenture Song, New York City United States of America
Film Craft
From 157 entries received, 14 were awarded: 2 Gold, 5 Silver & 6 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Rumble’, for General Entertainment Authority, by Accenture Song, Dubai, United Arab Emirates / Droga5, Part of Accenture Song, New York City, United States of America
Glass: The Award for Change
From 11 entries received, 3 were awarded: 2 Gold and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The Female Field’, for Adidas, by Havas Middle East, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Grand Prix for Good
The Grand Prix for Good was awarded to ‘Out of Home’, for Jood, by VML / Wunderman Thompson, Casablanca, Morocco
Healthcare
From 68 entries received, 6 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver & 2 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The Protective Rhymes’, for Anghami, by Leo Burnett, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Industry Craft
From 87 entries received, 7 were awarded: 3 Silver & 3 Bronze Lynx Awards and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Maqroo – The First Arabic Dyslexic Font’, for Omantel, by Leo Burnett, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Integrated
From 27 entries received, 3 were awarded: 1 Gold & 1 Bronze Lynx Awards and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Battle of the Baddest – Integrated’, for General Entertainment Authority, by Accenture Song, Dubai, United Arab Emirates / Droga5, Part of Accenture Song, New York City, United States of America / Droga5, Part of Accenture Song, Tokyo, Japan
Media
From 127 entries received, 12 were awarded: 2 Gold, 4 Silver & 5 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Frequencies of Peace’, for Babyshop, by FP7 McCann, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Outdoor
From 116 entries received, 8 were awarded: 2 Gold, 2 Silver & 3 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The Lost Camel’, for Emirates Development Bank, by LivingRoom Communication, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
PR
From 82 entries received, 7 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver & 3 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘ProtectTasbih’, for Saudia, by Leo Burnett, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Print & Publishing
From 43 entries received, 4 were awarded: 1 Gold, 1 Silver & 1 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Plant Espresso’, ‘Planet Roast’, ‘Planet Ethiopia’, for Boon, by Grey, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Radio & Audio
From 50 entries received, 5 were awarded: 2 Gold, 1 Silver & 1 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘I See Coke’, for The Coca-Cola Company, by VML, Dubai, United Arab Emirates / VML, New York City, United States of America
Social & Influencer
From 88 entries received, 7 were awarded: 1 Gold, 1 Silver & 4 Bronze Lynx Awards, and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Birthmark Stories’, for Hungerstation, by VML / Wunderman Thompson, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Dubai Lynx Special Awards were given as follows:
Network of the Year
1. Leo Burnett
2. Saatchi & Saatchi
3. BBDO Worldwide
Media Network of the Year
1. Initiative
2. Mediacom
3. Starcom
MENA Agency of the Year
1. Leo Burnett, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2. Impact BBDO, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3. Saatchi & Saatchi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Independent Agency of the Year
1. Serviceplan Middle East, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2. ‿ AND US, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3. Bigtime Creative Shop, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Lynx Palm Award
1. Good People Films, Egypt
2. Prodigious, United Arab Emirates
3. Dejavu, United Arab Emirates
Young Lynx Integrated Competition winners are as follows:
Gold
‘Waste No Words’
Ananya Talwar & Benjamin Kirby
VML Dubai
Silver
‘Learn Greenwash-en-ese’
Mahmoud Gahallah & Zainab Yasseen
M&C Saatchi
Bronze
‘Free The Green’
Daniela Romero Aguirre & Ayman Shehade
TBWA/RAAD
The Dubai Lynx Creativity Report will be released on Wednesday 20 March, which shines a light on the best creativity across MENA, as selected by Dubai Lynx Juries. The report will feature interviews with winners about how the work was created, exclusive insights from the Jury room, trends and themes that have emerged from the 2024 Awards, along with the annual rankings for this year’s top performing Networks, Agencies, and Companies in the region. All results can be found at https://www.lovethework.com/work-awards/awards/dubai-lynx.
